Article feeding apparatus



June 5, 1945. B. EDELMAN E TAL I 2,

- ARTICLEFEEDING' APPARATUS I Original Filed April 28, 1942 s Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

INVENTORS B. EDELMAN 4.1.. P/ZZI A Tron/var June 5, 1945. B. EDELMAN ETAL i 7 ARTICLE FEEDING APPAR-ATUS Original Filed April 28, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fla. 2

IN VEN TOPS a. EDELMA/V A. L. P/Z Z/ A T TORNE) June 5, 1945.

B. EDELMAN ETAL 2,377,409

ARTICLE FEEDING APPARATUS Original Filed April 28, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l l l I" 143 I FIG/0 INVENTORS B. EDEL MA N 14.1.. PIZZI ATTORNEY Patented June 5, 1945 ARTICLE FEEDING APPARATUS Bern Edelman, Brooklyn, N. Y., and Albert L., Pizzi, Newark, N. 3., assignors to Western Electric Company, a corporation incorporated, New York, N. Y., of New York Uriginal application April 28, 1942, Serial No. 440,826. Divided and this application March ,6, 1943, SerialNo. 478,217

3 Claims. (01. 193- 43) This invention relates to article feeding apparatus, and is a division of our copending application Serial No.440,826 filed April 28, 1942.

In the manufacture of small articles or parts the ultimate cost thereof may vary depending upon the speed and accuracy in whichthe various steps of the manufacturing process, in each instance, are carried out. If certain of these steps include the manual feeding of the articles to a machine and the manual removal of such from the machine, then the maximum output of the machine depends largely on the efficiency of the operator. Therefore, the reduction of the time required for the feeding of the articles or parts to the machine and the assurance of accuracy in the feeding of such to the machine would not only reduce the physical strain on the operator to a minimum but would increase the efiiciency of the machine to a maximum.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for feeding articles in accurate and variable positions.

With this and other objects in View, the invention comprises a unit operable to move articles at predetermined spaced positions intermittently to a machine adapted to perform work on the articles, a chute structure to receive the articles and formed to orient the articles singly in accurate positions for mounting on the unit.

Other objects and advantages will'be apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein 1 is a side elevational paratus;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus shown in conjunction with a welding machine, portions of the apparatus being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the entrance end of the feeding chute Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line d 3 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken view of the ap- I along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 1+1 of Fig. v5i;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detailed view taken along the line 99 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectionalv view of a portion of the feeding chute.

Referring now to the drawings, attention is first directed to Figs. 1 and 2. A suitable support '20 mounted upon legs 2|, only one of which is shown in Fig. 1,.has a suspending bracket 22 for supporting a motor 23. The motor 23 provides the power for moving an advancing unit,

indicated generally at 24, and for operating a welding machine indicated generally at 25 through the aid of a mechanism shown and described in the parent case.

A bearing I01, for a part of the mechanism for transferring article from 'a receiving station to the welding machine, is ,mounted upon a plate I I6 which in turn is mounted upon an adjustable slide iIl, the latter being adjustably supported on a plate II8, the adjustment bein possible through any suitable means not shown. The slide I I! also supports a plate I20 (Figs.v 1 and 2) to support a bearing I2I for a shaft I22. The shaft I 22 is mounted in a position parallel with the shaft I III. Oneach shaft there are mounted bearings to support a pulley I25. The pulley on the shaft I22 is mounted for free rotation as there is no need of a driving connection with its shaft while mechanism (not shown) under the control of the motor 23 drives the shaft IOI intermittently. Sets of locating pins or elements I3I are mounted at equally spaced positions, as illustrated in Fig. 2, on a belt I33 carried by the pulleys I25.

Attention at this time is directed to the article ID to be fed to the advancing unit 24. In the present embodiment the article III is one form of contact spring having mounting apertures I35 at spaced positions in one portion thereof adapted to receive the locating elements I3I of the belt I33. In the present illustration the spring I0 is provided with an integral projection I36 near the end thereof which is to receive the contact 69 at the welding unit 25. The contact 69 must, however, be welded on a definite side of the spring 70, and for this reason the location of the spring on the belt I33 is of great importance. Therefore, a feed controlling means illustrated in the drawings is provided. This means includes a table I38 upon whioh'a supply of the articles or contours of the chute are illustrated in Figs. 5', 6

and 7, beginning with a fiat portion lying in 'a plane of the upper surface of the table at the,

point I and gradually increasing in width and depth until the groove reaches an entrance I of the orienting unit I". The unit I" has guide or controlling walls i and II. respectively which function to assure feeding of the articles or springs ll between final guidesl with the projection I extending to the left (Fig. 2) The guide wall Ill extends from an angular position I41, similar to the adjacent angular wall of the groove ill in the chute Ill near the entrance end I, to a vertical position It! at an exitend ill of the unit. Therefore, if the article should lean to the right (1"ig. 2)- in passing down the chute Ill and remain in this p ition while entering the unit I, the article would move into engagement with the guide wall 5 and would be moved from a leaning position to a vertical position due to the contour of. the wall. This action on the article during its advancement will turn the articlein a rotating motion during its longitudinal advancement, to orient the article and cause it to lie on its other side with the projection ill located at the. left (Fig. 2). The wall I extends through a particular arcbetween the entrance end i and the exit end I, this contour "causing an article passing down the chute H0 and leaning toward the left (Fig. 2) to be rocked arcuate1y on the lower edge thereof so that it will be moved into the control of the guide wall i 6.

The guides Ill are of the contour illustrated Figs. 1, 2 and 10, with outwardly curved inner surfaces at their-entrance ends and integral outwardly projecting lugs I" with' elongate apertures Iii therein for receiving screws 1 52, through the aid of which the guides may be secured to a support III. The support I53 is in the form of a tilted table with integral brackets I adapted for mounting on the bearings Ill and Ill. The

guides i accurately direct the articles 'Ili singly to the belt and locate thearticles so that the apertures ill therein will register with the locating elements Ill positioned between the guides at the time the part is fed thereto. Fig. illus trates more in detail the exit end of the guides which extend across the belt and downwardly to positions close to the belt I", with grooves I51 in the lower surfaces thereof for the movement of the locating elements iii relative thereto. The guides also extend to points adjacent a stop I" rigidly supported by a bracket I 58. The stop I" is grooved at I to receive the end of the article .10 and to cooperate with the other feeding means in maintaining the accurate location of the article with respect to the locating elements ill on the belt which-have previously been positioned to receive the article.

Attention is now directed to Figs. 1 and 2,

which illustrate a transparent cover iIO pivotally supported at ill to extend over the belt I33 and the guides I48, to-make it possible for'the operator to view the feeding of the parts singly in place on the belt but to serve as .a guard against access to the belt at this position during the operation of the. apparatus. Associated with the cover I is a spring pressed plunger I" mounted for longitudinal movement by the force of a spring I93, to. effect opening ofthe contacts Ill and I" when the cover lfllis swung upwardly about its pivot, an annular abutting member in being 70 apparatus and the machine will be rendered inmounted upon the under surface of the cover and adapted to move the plunger-192 rearwardly to' close the contacts and to maintain them closed while the guard is in itsnormal position. Thus,

upon movement of the guard out-of its normal 10 I, and onto the belt, and another spring is in position in the chute I to be sent on its way.

At this time the operator may allow the spring ll shown positioned in the chute ill to move downwardly to assume its position on the belt.

When the spring is allowed to travel downwardly,

the operator only has to be sure that the proper end of the spring is in advance and need not determine whether or not the spring is lying upon 'the correct side. In moving downwardly, the

spring will enter the unit I and, as shown, the

projection I" is upon the left side. The spring, in passing through the unit I", will be controlled by the guide walls I and I, which assure location of the spring in the correct position when it enters the chute formed by the guides I and the support Ill. The wall I will cause the spring to rock to a position where it will be under control of the wall Ill, moving the spring from a position leaning toward the left to an angular position in engagement with the wall I",

the latter eifecting movement of the spring to a vertical position, the momentum of ,the spring during the downward travel thereof causing'the spring to lie in the proper position asit enters ss the chute I. If the spring II is placed in the chute ill so that it will lie on its opposite side with the projection d" extending to the right,

then the spring will be under the complete control of the wall I, which will raise the spring from 40 a lying down position on one side in the chute ill to a vertical position, at Hi, during its travel through the unit ill, resulting in the turning of the spring so that it will lie on the opposite side from that from which it started its travel. When the spring enters the lower chute in the correct position, it continues its travel between and under the control of the guides ill until its forward end strikes the inner end of the stop Ill. At this time the rearmost end of the spring will be free'to drop downwardly, the guides in and the stop in controlling the spring to cause it to drop so that the control elements ill will enter the apertures I" of the spring.

All that is necessary of the operator is the feeding of the springs down the chute in any desired manner, making sure that the proper end of the spring is advanced to the chute and that there is a sumcient time interval between each advanced spring for the operation of the apparatus and the welding machine. This time interval may be readily recognized through the actuation of the mechanism.

, Ifby accident a spring should be fed to the l 3 chute with the wrong end foremost, such a spring may be safely removed manually but in order to do so the cover I" must be moved upwardly and 8s a result thereof the plunger I" is released to effect opening of the. switch in so that the operative until the sprin is removed and the cover again lowered to close the switch; Furm and us may be reversed and the guides us may be adjusted to bring about this result.

Although specific improvements of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that they are but illustrative and that various modifications may be made therein without departing from'the scope and spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for advancing articles comprising an article receiving member, a chute into which elongate articles each having a projection on one side thereof may be directed with the projections extending in either direction, a unit interposed between the chute and the receiving member and having article controlling surfaces, one adapted to orient all of the articles received in engagement therewith to cause them to enter the receiving member with their projection extending in a given direction, the other surface adapted to be engaged by the projection of articles not received in engagement with the first surface ,to move the said articles into engagement with the first surface to be oriented thereby.

2. An apparatus for advancing articles comprising an article receiving member, a table having an aperture therein and a-supporting surface lying in a given plane for supporting flat articles having projections on one side thereof, a chute disposed in the said, aperture and having its entrance end lying in thesaid plane to singly receive the articles from the supporting surface with their projections extending in any of a plurality of directions, and means interposed between the exit end of the chute and the receiving member to cause each article to enter the receiving member with its projection extending in a given direction regardless of the direction its projection extends upon entering the chute.

' 3. An apparatus for advancing articles comprising an article receiving member, a table having an aperture therein and a supporting surface lying in a given plane for supporting flat articles having projections on one side thereof, a chute disposed in the said aperture and having its entrance end lying in the said plane to singly receive the articles from the supporting surface with their projections extending in any of a 'plurality of directions, a unit interposed between the chute andthe receiving-member and having a surface adapted to orientthe articles to cause each article to enter the receiving member with its projection extending in a given direction regardless of the direction its projection extends upon entering the chute, and means adapted for engagement by the projection to move the articles into engagement with the said orienting surface.

BERIL EDELMAN. ALBERT L. PIZZI. 

